Ball game apparatus



5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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MVN HHH WMM July 19, 1955 Filed July 17, 1952 July 19, 1955 A. L. MAGRATH 2,713,488

BALL GAME APPARATUS Filed July 17, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 1N VENTOR. f I AdIMLMqylw \V MA ATTCI RN EYS July 19 A L MAG RATH BALL. GAME APPARATUS 2,713,488

lled July 17 195 TTRNEYS Patented July 19, 1955 BALL GAME APPARATUS Adrian Lake Magi-ath, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Application July 17, 1952, Serial No. 299,307 1 Claim. (Cl. 273-85) My invention is a game of skill, patterned on the sport of ice hockey. It is played on a table with a slightly sloping surface, having a miniature goal at the lower end toward which small rubber balls are directed by means of guide rails. These balls are red at a fairly high velocity by means of a mechanical arrangement underneath the surface of the playing table and all of the balls thus tired will pass through the goal if not diverted to either side.

The object of the game is to prevent the balls from passing through the goal and this is accomplished by means of a small projector which can be operated by hand to knock the balls to the right or left of the goal.

Unlike most games based on somewhat similar lines, the present game is a test of skill rather than chance and it is possible to prevent any of the balls passing through the goal if the player possesses the necessary degree of coordination between the hand and the eye.

In the accompanying drawings, similar reference characters are used to designate like parts throughout, and

Figure l is a side elevational view of the game, with parts broken away and in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the game.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a sectional viewtaken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view details of the apparatus.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a sectional Figure 6. v

Figure 9 is a sectional Figure 6.

Referring now lto the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts the improved toy game of ice hockey of this invention includes a cabinet 1, a coin chute 2, an inclined playing surface or game board 3, an arcuate baille 4 for directing balls passing upwardly from an inclined chute onto the game board, converging guide rails 5 extended from the upper corners of the game board toward a goal 6, a spool 7 slidably mounted on the face of the cabinet and by which a projector or paddle which deects the ball toward the sides of the game board is actuated by a button 8.

The spool 7 is mounted the face of the cabinet, and ing member 10.

The coin chute 2 which extends from the end of a bar 12 is provided with conventional means whereby the insertion of a coin permits the machine to operate and with a coin inserted in the chute 2 the bar is moved inwardly with the inner end engaging the pin 13 on a slide bar 14.

showing certain constructional on the line 7-7 of View taken on the line 8-8 of view taken on the line 9-9 of to slide laterally in a slot 9 in the button actuates the divert- The bar 14 is pivotally connected by a pin 15 to a lever 16 and a pawl 17, which is pivotally mounted between flanges of the bar 14, is positioned to engage a notch`18 chutes 28 and 29. The

- one ball at a time is released to the chute 33 of a tilting frame 19. The lever 16 is pivotally mounted on a pin 20 and one end of the lever 16 is provided with a linger 21 that is positioned to engage a post 22 extended downwardly from the goal 6. The lever 16 is resiliently held by extension springs 24.

The tilting frame 19 is pivotally mounted by a pin 23 in the cabinet and tilting movement of the frame is limited by stops 25 and 26 on the inner surface of a side wall of the cabinet. The tilting frame 19 is also provided with a mercury switch 27 which is connected in a circuit of a motor or other means for rotating parts of the machine.

The game board 3 is provided with an opening at the lower end through which balls drop into ball return operating parts of the game are driven by a motor or the like through a flexible shaft 30 which extends from a gear reduction 31, and the gear reduction 31 may be connected to a motor or the like by a flexible shaft 32. When electric power is switched on, a small electric motor (not shown) is actuated, and this turns the flexible shaft 32 which leads to the reduction transmission 31, and the transmission 31 in turn drives the flexible shaft 3l). The flexible shaft 30 rotates the cam 42 at approximately twenty-four revolutions per minute.

The playing pieces or balls, as indicated by the numerals are shot or delivered to an upwardly inclined chute 33 with a gun 34 which discharges the balls upwardly over the chute 33 and against the arcuate baille 4 at the upper end by which the balls are directed to the area between the guides 5 on the playing iield or game board 3.

Coins from the coin chut 2 are carried by a chute 36 to a coin box 37 that may be secured with a lock and key inthe conventional manne Upon placing a coin in the coin chute moved inwardly, moving the bar 12 sliding bar 14 and lever 2 the chute is which actuates the 16 with the pawl 17 dropping into the notch 18 and with the opposite end of the lever 16 tilting the goal 6 through the linger 21 so that balls remaining in the goal from a former play are released whereby the balls drop downwardly on the surface 3 and pass into the chutes 28 and 29. The return movement of the lever 16 by the spring 24 tilts the frame 19 whereby the mercury switch 27 completes a circuit to the motor.

The tilting frame 19 is returned by a vertically disposed spring 28, the lower end of which is anchored to the iioor 39 of the housing and the upper end of which is connected to a pulley block 40 whereby the action of the spring urging the pulley downwardly on the track 41 returns the frame 19 with one edge thereof engaging the stop 26.

Upon completion of the circuit to the motor the shaft 30 extended from the reduction gear 31 rotates a cam 42 which forces a hammer 43 away from a gun barrel 34 and as the cam passes beyond the end of the hammer which is pivotally mounted by a pin 44, a spring 45 returns the hammer with a snap action driving a ball in the gun barrel 34 upwardly over the chute 33 to the game board 3.

The cam 42 is carried by an eccentric 46 and a slip ring 47 on a hub 76 of the eccentric operates a ball releasing mechanism through a cable 48 which extends over pulleys 49 and 50 and which is connected to a feeder block 51 which is pivotally mounted on the ball return chute 29 at the point 52, shown in Fig. 3. By this means and the guide 35 of the chute 33 directs the ball directly into the gun barrel 34.

The hub 76 of the eccentric 46 is provided with a pin 53 that is positioned to mesh with teeth of a wheel 54. which is pivotally mounted by a pin 77 on a swinging plate 55 which is pivotally mounted by a pin 56 on the lower end of the inclined chute 33. It will be seen that the ball can be directed from either side with the present invention. The member 73 is rigid so as to permit the ball to be directed from either side of the apparatus.

A traverse rod 57, which is pivotally mounted on an angle support 58 on the inner surface of the housing with a pin 59 is pivotally connected to the wheel 54 with a pin 60. The eccentric 46 actuates the gun 34 to deliver one ball with each revolution of the eccentric and by the same means the pin 53, engaging the teeth of the wheel 54 rotates the wheel 54 twelve degrees each time a ball is delivered from the gun. The wheel 54 is provided with teeth and upon the completion of one revolution the traverse rod 57, through the rod 61 actuates a bell crank 62 which is pivotally mounted by a pin 78 and the bearing plate 79 on the inner surface of the housing whereby a bar 63 that is pivotally connected to the bell crank by a pin 64 is moved forwardly with a shoulder 80 engaging a pin 66 on the tilting frame 19 whereby the frame is actu ated so that the mercury switch 27 breaks the circuit through the motor. The bar 63 is resiliently held upwardly by a spring 67 which extends upwardly from the bar 63 at an angle of substantially 45 degrees.

By this means a predetermined number of balls are delivered to the game board or playing eld 3 upon the insertion of a coin and as the balls travel downwardly on the playing field the goal stick or head 10 is actuated by the button 8 in an attempt to divert the balls laterally to prevent the balls entering the goal.

The spool 7 through which the stem of the button 8 extends is provided with a plate 68 that is positioned to cover the slot 9 in the front wall of the cabinet and the plate 68 supports a tray 69 on which the head 10 is car ried by a shaft 70 which extends through the slot 11 in the surface of the game board.

The button 8 is provided with a stern 71 that is connected to a lever 72 which is pivotally mounted on the tray 69 with a pin 81 and the opposite end of the lever is connected by a rod 73 to an eccentrically positioned pin 82 on a link 83 at the lower end of the shaft 70. After the button 8 is pressed inwardly it is returned by a spring 74 that is connected to the lever 72 at one end and to a ange 84 of the tray 69 at a point 85, at the other.

By this means only one ball is admitted to the gun or ring chamber at one time and with the eccentric rotated ,f

by a motor or other suitable means the balls are continuously delivered at regular intervals until a predetermined number of balls have been discharged.

With the traverse arm moving after each firing operation each ball follows a different path, the gun carriage or :e

plate 55 being pivotally mounted on the chute 33 by the pin 56.

il (l I) il The entire unit including the spool 7, button 8 and head 10 are adapted to be moved laterally by the player' in order to position the head to correspond with the path of a ball.

Each player synchronizes the movement of the head or goal stick with the travel of the balls to prevent balls entering the goal. No two balls arrive at the goal from the same angle, but all balls go into the goal if not kept out by the player. All balls cleared by the player immediately drop through a slot at the bottom end of the playing surface to ball return chutes 28 and 29 and all balls go into a denite location which is the goal although they arrive there by thirty different routes. Furthermore, coordination of the hand and eye is required to keep all thirty balls out of the goal though it is theoretically possible to do so.

lt will be understood that modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made in thc design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In a game, a cabinet provided with an inclined playing surface, an arcuate baffle for directing balls onto said playing surface, a pair of converging guide rails on said playing surface, a goal positioned between the front ends of said rails, a spool slidably mounted on the front of said cabinet whereby the spool can be manually adjusted along the front of the cabinet, a manually operable actuating member carried by said spool, a paddle actuated by said member for diverting the balls, a frame tiltably mounted in said cabinet, a coin operated mechanism for controlling movement of said frame, stops for limiting tilting movement of said frame, there being an opening at the lower end of said playing surface for the passage therethrough of balls, a return chute communicating with said opening, an upwardly inclined chute for discharging the balls against the baie whereby the balls are directed to the area between the guide rails, a gun for receiving balls from said return chute and for directing the balls into said upwardly inclined chute, switch means carried by said frame for controlling actuation of said gun, and a ball releasing mechanism for feeding one ball at a time from the return chute to said gun.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,885,036 Gravatt Oct. 25, 1932 2,048,944 Munro July 28, 1936 2,083,540 Armstrong June 15, 1937 2,150,515 Meyer Mar. 14, 1939 2,318,169 Rock May 4, 1943 

